Pumping mechanism



Dec. 19, 1961 c w. MUSSER 3,013,394

PUMPING MECHANISM Filed July 13, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.3.

IN VEN TOR. c WALTON MU SSE R ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,013,394 PUMPING MECHANISM C Walton Mussel, 66 McKay St., Beverly, Mass. Filed July 13', 1959, Ser. No. 826,887 2 Claims. (Cl. 6097) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalt thereon.

This invention relates to pumping mechanisms which are actuated by one fluid pressure and functions topump another fluid or liquid. It has for its principal object the provision of an improved pumping mechanism which is more compact and eflicient than those heretofore available.

In a preferred form of the invention, these highly desirable results are achieved by the provision of a pump which includes two identical cylinders and two identical pistons. These pistons operate separately but are interconnected by a locking bar which prevents the movement of one piston while the other is moving. Each piston functions to pump a fluid and to valve the flow of the actuating fluid to the other piston. This arrangement of the various parts not only-makes for a very compact structure, it also makes possible a high operating efliciency for the reason that the pistons are arranged, as hereinafter explained, (l) to present a relativelylarge area to the activating fluid during their power strokes when'a relatively high force is required and (2) to present a relatively small area to the activating fluid during their suction strokes when a relatively small force is required. When utilized as a boiler feed pump or the like, the pump mechanism herein disclosed has the important advantage that steam may be used to pump water, the temperature of the water being raised during the pumping action.

The invention will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings and its scope is indicated by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exterior view of the pump which includes two identical cylinders interconnected through a bulkhead and two identical pistons interconnected by a mechanism which maintains each of the pistons stationary while the other is moving,

FIG. 2 is a partial view showing one of the pistons at the end of its power stroke,

FIG. 3 is a similar view showing the other piston at the beginning of its power stroke,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 is a view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 6 indicates the details of the mechanism which controls the relation between the positions of the pistons, and

PIG,7 is an explanatory diagram indicating the paths followed by -the pumping and pumped fluids for different positions or" the pistons.

FIG. 1 illustrates cylinders 10 and 11 which are identical and terminate at their adjacent ends in flanges 12 and 13. The cylinder 10 has four raised parts 14, 15, 16 and 17 (FIGS. 1 and 4) into which extend passageways A, B, C, D, E and F as indicated by broken lines. At their adjacent ends, these passageways open into similar passageways A, B, C, D, E and F in the raised parts 14, 15, 16 and 17 of the cylinder 11. At their outer ends, these various passageways open into the interior of the cylinders and cooperate with certain recesses on the piston surface to valve the pumping fluid to and from the pistons. Y

As indicated by FIG. 3, the cylinder 10 encloses a hollow piston 18 which has at its outer periphery recesses 19, 20, 21 and 22 and rectangularpiston rings 23, '24, 25, 26, 27 and 28. In connection with these figures, it should be understood that the actual disposition of the passageways is indicated in FIGS. 4 and 5 and that their openings are all shown at one side of the cylinder in FIGS. 2 and 3 in order to facilitate an understanding of their relation with the recesses of the cylinder. I

The inner periphery of the piston 18 has a seal ring 43 and slides on a bulkhead extension 29 which has near its end'an opening 30 adapted to receive a ball 31. Arranged to cooperate with this ball are a groove or recess 32 at the end of a rod 33 and recesses or indentations 34 and 35 on the inner periphery of the hollow piston 18. How these variousparts cooperate to keep the piston 18 stationary while the piston :18 is moving and vice versa will be readily understood from FIG. 6.

As indicated by this figure, the moving piston 18 depresses the ball' 31 into the groove 32 so that the rod 33 is in a position to force the ball 31' into the groove or indentation 34 of the piston 18 thus preventing movement of this piston. At the end of the pumping stroke of the piston 18, however, the ball 31 is free to move into the recess 34. At this time, pumping fluid is admitted to the cylinder 11 as hereinafter explained and the piston 18 moves away from the piston 18 thus forcing the ball 31 downwardly so that the rod 33 is moved to the left 'in FIG. 6 thereby forcing the ball 31 into the groove 34 and locking the piston 1-8 in place.

How the passageways of the cylinder 10 are connected with those of the cylinder 11 is indicated by FIG. 5' wherein the openings from cylinder 1t) are drawn as large circles, the openings from the cylinder 11 are drawn as small circles, and the pump inlet and outlet is shown as a large central circle Z. It will be noted that the pumping fluid is admitted to a passageway CC and is exhausted through a passageway AEA'E. The suction stroke of the pistons functions to draw the pumped liquid through a check valve V located in the passageway 4-1 into the central cavity of the pistons, and the power stroke of the pistons acts to force the pumped fluid out of this central cavity through a check valve V located in the passageway 42. I

The condition at the various steps in the pumps operating cycle are indicated by FIG. 7 wherein the paths of the actuating fluid is indicated by full lines and the path of the exhaust fluid is indicated by broken lines.

In the first position of FIG. 7, the piston 18 is at the end of its power stroke and the piston 18 is at the end of its suction stroke, its central cavity containing the pumped fluid. Under these conditions, actuating fluid is applied through passageway C, recess 19 and passageway B and F to the head of piston 18, the fluid ahead of this piston is exhausted through passageways G, D, recess 20 and passageway E and the fluid inside the cylinder 10 is forced out through the passageway 42.

In the second position of FIG. 7, the piston 18 is at the end of its power stroke, the piston 18 is at the beginning of its suction stroke, actuating fluid is applied through pasageway C, recess 19, and passageways B and G to the annular surface 40, the fluid ahead of the piston 18 is exhausted through passageways F and D, recess 20 and passageway E, and the pumped fluid is drawn into the cylinder 11, through passageway 41 (FIG. 5).

In the third position of FIG. 7, the piston 18 is at the end of its suction stroke, the piston '18 is at the beginning of its suction stroke, actuating fluid is applied through passageway C, recess 22' and passageways D 3 and G to the annular surface 40 (FIG. 6) of piston 18, the fluid ahead of this piston is exhausted through passageways F and B, recess 21 and passageway A, and pumped fluid is drawn into the central cavity of the cylinder 10 through passageway 41 (FIG.

In the fourth position of FIG. 7, the piston 18 is at the end of its suction stroke, the piston 18 is at the beginning of its power stroke, actuating fluid is applied through passageway C, recess 22 and passageways D and F to the piston 18, fluid is exhausted from ahead of this piston through passageways G and B, slot 21 and passageway A, and pumped fluid is forced from the cylinder 11 through the passageway 42.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that the activating fluid is applied to the entire end area of the piston during the power stroke and to a smaller annular surface 40 or 40 during the suction stroke. The resulting differential in force is instrumental in increasing the efficiency of the pump.

For example, on the suction stroke where the pumped fluid is not being forced against a pressure, a relatively small force is required. On the power stroke, the entire end surface of the piston is available. By proper arrangement of the inner diameter of the piston to its outer diameter, very high efliciencies may be obtained. As previously indicated, the pump is useful wherever it is desired to pump one fluid by another without bringing them into contact with one another, and, where the pumping fluid is steam and the pumped fluid is water, it has the advantage that the water is heated by the steam.

I claim:

1. In an improved pumping mechanism, a pair of identical open-ended cylinders each having a casing therearound, said cylinders being axially aligned with their open ends in spaced face to face relation, a plurality of longitudinal fluid passageways provided in said casings and opening into said cylinders at one end and aligned with and opening into the passageways of the other cylinder at the other end, a pair of identical open-ended hollow pistons each movable in a different one of said cylinders and each having recesses disposed about its outer periphery to cooperate with said passageways to valve actuating fluid to the other of said pistons, said open ends of said pistons being axially aligned in spaced face to face relation, a bulkhead interposed between said open ends of said cylinders and said pistons having passageways therethrough to permit communication between the respective cylinders and pistons, said bulkhead having formed integrally therewith opposed tubular members each extending axially into a different one of said pistons and slidably engaging the inner surfaces thereof, and means arranged within said pistons to lock each piston to its corresponding tubular member while the other piston is moving.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized by each of said tubular members having an opening adjacent its outer end, a pair of spaced indentions provided in each of said pistons, a pair of balls each res ectively cooperating between said opening in said tubulgr member and one of each of said pair of indentions and a rod movable within said tubular members to urge one of said balls into one of said pair of indentions to render one piston stationary while the other is moving.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 254,741 Walsh Mar. 7, 1882 1,981,400 Tobin Nov. 20, 1934 2,110,972 Dinzl Mar. 15, 1938 2,366,417 MacMillin Jan. 2, 1945 2,528,131 Garretson Oct. 31, 1950 

